1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for preparing a novel ethylene graft polymer composition which has substantial adhesiveness and which is useful as a polymer base for adhesive and coating compositions. More particularly, this invention relates to a process for preparing a polymer composition containing a graft polymer wherein an unsaturated carboxylic acid or acid anhydride is copolymerized with a vinyl monomer containing at least one chlorine atom in the presence of an ethylene-vinylacetate copolymer, preferably together with an olefin or a vinyl ester.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ethylene-vinylacetate copolymers have various desirable characteristics such as excellent softness, elasticity, adhesiveness, miscibility, moldability, transparency, low temperature flexibility, and the like. With the development of the technological base concerning ethylene-vinylacetate copolymers, new applications for the copolymer have developed in areas such as molding compounds, adhesives, polymer modifiers, and the like. However, simultaneous with the development of new applications of the copolymers has been a need for improvements in the characteristics of the ethylene-vinylacetate copolymers such as in the adhesiveness, solvent resistance, and heat resistance. Polymers having improved adhesiveness in the past have been prepared by polymerizing ethylene, vinyl acetate and unsaturated carboxylic acids by introducing polar groups in the ethylene polymer as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 8683/1964.
However, a need still exists for ethylene-vinylacetate copolymers which have improved adhesive, solvent resistant and heat resistant characteristics over those copolymers of the past.